Don't forget the planet this holiday

Mounds of wrapping paper, old holiday cards and that lame reindeer sweater from Great Aunt Gilda. Part of the Christmas spirit? More like part of the holiday surplus, headed for the dump.

Sure, Christmas is the season of giving--but it's also the season of garbage. Thirty-five million American families celebrate with real Christmas trees, but 34 percent of those trees aren't recycled after the holidays. Americans send 1.9 billion Christmas cards each year, but only 42 percent of all paper is recycled.

From paper to pine trees, a little conservation this Christmas might make the holiday a bit brighter for our planet. Not everything needs to be thrown out.

Rashida R., 15, of Boston is a teen writer for the environmental newsletter Green Times. She suggests making your own wrapping paper using crayons and scrap or recycled paper.

For kids who want to reuse wrapping paper, Rashida suggests folding it into squares and storing it neatly in a box. Ripped wrap can be reused too: "If you're into the New Year's thing, you can use the wrapping paper as confetti," she says.

Even old school assignments on colored paper have a use in Rashida's world--she suggests folding them into origami shapes. Rashida says she uses origami ornaments on her fake tree.

And what if you don't like what's under your tree--or if that new jacket will be the fourth warm coat in your closet? Donating unwanted clothing or toys to a shelter, charity or charity thrift store gives other kids the chance to use and enjoy.

Rashida says another way to conserve is to go low-voltage. Santa will still find his way down your chimney, even if the holiday lights are off. "Use them during the day and turn them off be-fore bed," Rashida says. "It helps save energy."